Friday, July 11, 2008

Push My Buttons

***WINNER PICKED 7/24 WITH RANDOM.ORG*** ***CONGRATULATIONS, Auriette!!!*** her comment... When I was living on my own quite a few years ago, I had one of those doorknobs that you punch in the little button to lock it. At least twice, I punched the little button, closed the door, then opened my purse to dig out my keys which, you guessed it, were in the house. It's scary how easy it was to break in.

Now we have a doorknob that you can open from the inside even when it's locked, so you can't tell that it's locked without either looking or trying it from the other side. At least twice, I managed to lock myself out, on my way to work in the morning, while DH was still sleeping. KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK. BANG BANG BANG. "Sorry, honey."

Once, when I was in high school, I forgot my housekey. I figured I would go into the garage through the backyard and see if the door to the house was unlocked, as it occasionally was. No dice. Of course, by the time I got back to the patio after fiddling all the doors and windows, there was a policeman there with a gun pointed at me. He kept the gun on me until I retrieved my ID from my backpack. I'm sure I was a massive threat, all 5'2" and goofy asymmetrical hair. (It was the '80s, people.) Anyway, the experience freaked me out so much that I have rarely forgotten or lost my key since.

If you're more prone to misplacing your keys, you might want to check out the new series of keypad locks from Schlage. They allow you to set different entry codes for individual users, so you can give a babysitter or housekeeper their own code without worrying about getting spare keys made. Or getting them back.

Mom Central sent me one of the keypad deadbolts (the Schlage Satin Nickel Camelot Electronic Keypad Deadbolt, available for $138 at Lowes) to try out and it was a big hit with the whole family. It installed easily with just a screwdriver and I didn't even have to program our own code- it comes preset with two unique user codes. We haven't set any new user codes yet but it looks like it will be easy to do so. Roo loved memorizing the numerical code and she enjoys pushing the buttons to unlock the door, so it even works as a mini learning activity every day. I also appreciate the illuminated keypad which makes opening the door at night much easier than fumbling for keys in the dark.

To enter and win your own Schlage keypad deadbolt (Camelot style, in Satin Nickel Finish as shown above), please comment on this post with your own stories of keys and the trouble they have caused you.

Entries will be accepted through July 23rd and I'll pick the winner using Random.org. US readers are eligible. (Sorry, non-Americans. These suckers are heavy and I am cheap!) Only one entry/comment per person, please.

Make sure you leave an email address in your comment or that you have one accessible on your blog so you can be contacted if you win! Or, you may choose to check for your nickname at Prizey.Fetch, a new site that compiles winners in one convenient place:

291 comments:

We used to have one of these when I was in highschool (not this brand, and not this nice). It was awesome! Now it doesn't work any more (it is very old) and we have to use regular keys. My worst "getting locked out" story might be when my husband was very sick and had locked himself in the bathroom. While he was in the (very small) bathroom, he fainted and hit his head on the sink. I couldn't get in to get him because he had locked the door with a sliding lock, and the window from the outside had burglar bars on it. I just had to wait until he "came to" and could reach up and unlock the door, and then dragged him out of the bathroom with the help of some friends. Moral of the story: if you are weak and sick, leave the bathroom door UNLOCKED.Also another time we got locked out of the entire house and my hubby unscrewed some burglar bars.

I was so bad about losing keys when I was a kid we had to have duplicates made all the time. Then in college I lived in a co-op and would always accidentally lock myself out of my room, and had to get the higher ups to come open it so many times. This would be so helpful in a family prone to losing things! Thanks!

I once left for a 3 week vacation and arranged for my friend to come over daily to look after my cat. The problem was, the key that I handed her ended up being the wrong one, so after being on the road for a couple of days, when I arrived at my Mom's house, there was a message saying that nobody could get in to feed the cat. We had a spare key hidden outside of our house, but it was in one of those fake rocks, and we had done some landscaping, that caused it to get covered by some dirt. My poor friend went out in our back yard in the dark, with pouring rain coming down, and dug around in the general area where we had last seen the key rock, until she managed to find it. A push-button entry system would have made the whole situation much more easily resolved.

We had a back door lock that just suddenly stopped working. With us on the outside, of course! My husband's key wouldn't unlock it, so we tried mine. Nope. Had to get the ladder and go thru an upstairs window to get in, then use a screwdriver to take the whole lock out from the inside of the house. FUN FUN!

We're going through a key issue right now!! Well, we let my brother-in-law stay with us for a few months, and we haven't been able to get his key back, he keeps giving us excuses, I'm assuming he lost it and doesn't want to say it! Boy I wish we'd had one of these so we could just delete his passcode! It makes me nervous to have a key floating around out there, but my hubby thinks I'm just stressing over nothing!

On the whole I haven't had too much trouble with keys. The worst problem I really had was forgetting my keys when I was in middle school. We had a small window on the side of the house into the basement that was rarely locked (and accidentally broken when it was locked once - oops). I slipped in through that window or found other creative entry means. Makes you wonder about the security of the house.

My sister would regularly forget her key - meaning I needed to wait around for her to get home before I could do anything else.

My wife regularly left her keys in the car when running out to the ATM or similar errands. She thought enough to lock the car, though. :P

I've actually considered these for times when we don't have our keys or to make it easier on our daughter to get in if she is first to the door. The price is definitely a prohibiting factor at the moment, but it's pretty cool.

Years ago when our daughter was an infant we accidently left our condo keys in my mother in law's condo after we saw her off on a trip she was going on. We realized the keys were in her place as she was driving away and we didn't have a spare because the spare was inside our condo.

It was a SUPER hot day too! It was TOO HOT to be outside... especially with a baby.

My husband had to borrow a ladder from the handyman of our complex. Then he had to wake up our downstairs neightbor (he works nights so he sleeps during the day) to get permission to put the ladder on his balcony. He said it was ok so my husband put the ladder on his balcony and climbed up and over on to our balcony (we live on the top floor - three flights up). THANKFULLY I never lock our sliding doors on the balcony so he was able to get in and unlock our door.

I am also a stay at home mom. There is only two people in our building during the day and both work nights and don't hear when you knock on the door. I'm always VERY worried that I'll lock myself out one day when I take our dog out for a walk. I have no where to put an extra key. I have locked myself out of my car so it's only a matter of time before I neglect to bring the condo key with me when I take the dog out for a walk and I would have no way of getting inside. Something like this would give me peace of mind in a BIG way!!!

My garage door broke (would not open) and I had my baby in the car. No house keys on me since we go in and out of the garage. Had to call hubby to come home from work (not close by) and let us in. This lock sounds fantastic!tvollowitz at aol dot com

Which one would you like to hear? I unfortunately have a few. The most comical one is last year when I was outside 4 months pregnant in my backyard working on sanding some furniture for the nursery. My husband locked me out accidentally and left to go somewhere. Well, our side gate access was locked and I had to scale our fence and run over to the neighbors house and borrow their phone so my husband could come back and let me in. Now I don't even go in my backyard without at least having my cell phone with me.

I know I have locked out stories from the house, but what really sticks in my head is our old apartment. My youngest used to lock the bathroom door all the time & we had no key for it. My hubby was the only one that could get the door open. One time she locked us all out of the bathroom, I had to go so bad & hubby was at work. I kept calling him begging him to come home to get the door open, lol. He was not happy!

My husband & I live in Las Vegas and our families live in Arizona. We had just landed in Vegas and I called my mom to tell her we'd arrived safely. She said "You left your keys here" and I thought she was kidding. Too bad she wasn't! I left my car & house keys on the bed at her house!!! And to top it off, it was the one time my husband didn't bring his keys with him. We had to call a locksmith from the airport (at 11pm) and then take a cab home. When the locksmith finally got to the house, he didn't have a flashlight...he & my husband used their CELL PHONES as lights! The world's worst locksmith the proceeded to spend the next hour putting big, deep gouges in our front door every time his tools slipped off the lock. When he finally managed to drill through the lock and get us in, my husband had to go to Wal-Mart at 1am to buy a new dead bolt.

When I was about 7 months pregnant I walked outside to shut the sprinkler off. As soon as the door shut I realized I was locked out. The back door was unlocked, but I couldn't just open the gate because the lock was broke. I tried to climb the fence, but my belly was too big and the fence was too high. After a long while, I realized out boat was out front and there was a bucket in it. I got on the bucket and somehow got over the fence almost falling to the other side. Meanwhile my dog was in the backyard chewing on a bone. When I approached him I scared him to death (great watchdog). My husband made fun of me, only to have the same thing happen to him the very next week. He was lucky though, he wasn't 7 months pregnant.

It's actually my mom's story but real funny. My aunt was a real skinny minnie in high school and my uncles were occasional terrors to her. One time my mom had to work after school, but they forgot their key to get in the house. Hours later my mom got home and found her sister with her arm completely stuck in the mail slot. The boys thought since she was so thin (and lanky) she could fit her arm in and up to unlock the door. My mom had to unlock the door and then use carefully lotion and maneuver her sister out.mgoddess5(at)gmail(dot)com

This would be a great thing to have with teenagers! I can't tell you how often I've sat around waiting for one of them to get home before running out to do something... The younger 2 never seem to remember to take their key with them...

When we moved into our new house we didn't realize the front door and back door were keyed differently.

It wasnt until my in laws were in town and my father=in=law grabbed the keys while we were headed out the door.

After a day full of shopping we arrived home to find a house locked tight, a screaming toddler, and a key that only unlocked the back doorknob (not the deadbolt too). We had to sit outside in snowy weather for an hour until my husband could come home and rescue us.

This would have been really nice so I wouldn't have looked as incompetent in front of my in laws!

Hi! After I had our second son, I constantly would lose my keys or forget them! The biggest problem I had was locking them in my van! Even though I had the buzzer constantly going off; warning me about them being in the ignition, I actually did not hear it. I was so into having both sons with me that the keys weren't in my thoughts! It got to be such a bad habit, my husband would put an extra key in a magnetic holder and hid it somewhere on the van for me. He also put one under the license plate and I had a technique for getting it out. One time, I had to pay a locksmith $50.00 to get the keys for me. Please enter me in your wonderful drawing. I really appreciate it.....Thanks, Cindijchoppes[at]hotmail[dot]com

wow! I cant imagine having a police point a gun at me! but my husband and I will be moving to Africa, where there is a big problem of theft and unwanted visitors. This would be reasurring for us that no unwanted strangers came into our home.

What a great product idea. My story is once I was home alone and went out my garage door to go for a run. Closed the garage door with the keypad and went on my merry way. Got back to the house and the electricity was out so the garage door wouldn't open and I didn't have a key with me to get in the front door. This would have been perfect!

I would love this simply to keep the maintenance guy out of our apartment when we're not here! Yes, he does come in (we have proof) and no, he's not authorized! This would stop him in his tracks. (moohaahaaaaaa)

I am always losing my keys. I just found them after a 2-3 week loss. One of the girls stuck them in the diaper bag which we haven't used in a while. I almost checked there the first week they were lost but didn't. I wish I had. It would have saved lots of time.

I have a story. We have old, old locks. With skeleton keys. And a four-year-old who seems to have kleptomaniac tendencies. So when we forgot to put the key up--like this morning apparently--it goes missing until we find the weird place the weird kid hid it. Which is funny, but also makes me feel a little unsafe with a back door that won't lock. :/

What a great idea! I forgot my keys a few times before I finally learned. One time I forgot them and decided to wait in the back yard until my family came home and let me know. Except a bird was nesting back there and chased me around the house! Fortunatly, a neighbor with a copy of our house key saw me and came to my rescue. :)

We had key issues just last month. we drove an hour across town to water my in-laws plants and swim in their pool, while they were vacationing. Hubby unlocked the front door, dumped our stuff (car keys, wallet etc) inside and came back outside to help me unload our daughter and her stroller. Problem was, he pulled the door shut behind him on the way out . . . I looked at him and said "what did you just do?" For a second, he didn't register and then he uttered some non-repeatable phrases . . . There we were, stuck outside my in-laws house, with our car keys and their house key locked inside. Long story short, we checked every door and every window of their large house and the very last set of patio doors hubby checked swung open! We were lucky, it was a stinking hot day, our cooler was in the house and my daughter was beginning to lose it just as we struck gold!belinda_streak(at)hotmail(dot)com

crap! My 5 minute long comment didn't go through and now I am left with a blank screen. Well...long story short, I locked my keys in the car at the gas pump and the attendees were really mad that they were going to have lost revenue over the time my car was there. It was pretty embarrassing.

Having locked my keys in the house, I had to climb up on our back porch railing on one tip toe while reaching up to the second story bedroom where I knew I could remove the screen to climb up in through the window. NUTS!!! This would be much safer, although not as entertaining for the neighbors. amguely(at)gmail.com

Car keys are my biggest problem. I locked my keys in my car three times while we were waiting to adopt our daughter. I've discovered I'm most prone to lock myself out of the car when something is going on in my life that consumes all my thoughts.

I never carry a purse, because I am one of those people that will leave it lying around wherever I may be and not remember it until 4 days later. So I rarely carry keys either. I leave that up to the man. Let's just say... I've crawled in my fair share of windows. lo.. Thanks so much for the opportunity.

I have a real problem with keys. I don't know what it is but no matter how big the key chain is, I still lose them. There is not one specific time that stands out to me, but just a huge chain of events that leads me to believe that this may be the answer.

BTW, I use Schlage locks at my hotel and I really think that they are the best.

Last week my husband went outside to mow grass and the kids and I left to go taekwondo class. Before we leave the house we always check the doors to make sure they are locked. I forgot about my husband being outside and locked all the doors including the one from the garage into the house. He was locked outside for about 2 hours until we got home and found him sitting in the garage trying to keep cool. We could really use one of these, several friends of ours have these and they laugh at us for getting locked outside.

Oh my Gosh, this was awful. Went to the store, about a mile away, ran in with my wallet and locked the car. Of course all my keys were in my purse, and now locked in the car. Had to walk home, break a window, crawl over the railing and hang onto the window ledge to pull myself in. Got the extra set of keys for the house and car, then walk back to the shopping center to unlock my car. It was hot and over 80% humidity outside. It costs me over 100.00 to get the window fixed. I lived in a townhouse, so there was really no place to hide an extra key outside. Ugh, never again.

There are seven people living in my house. Myself, my husband, my three grown sons, my daughter in law and my grandson. No one ever remembers to lock the door and they are always losing their keys. Our house is set back in the woods and I worry all the time about a burglary or worse. This would be a Godsend and I thank you for the opportunity to win it.

I've been locked out of the house a few times, but not for a few years now, thank goodness. My biggest problem with the house key is not being able to find it in my purse - especially when I have my hands full of shopping bags or whatever.

My husband loses everything, especially keys, wallet and his lighter. I mean this happnes every day and I am the one who has to find it. Thank God I am like Sherock Holmes in the family. I just get sick of it, so this is a great prize.

My 4 yr old has a (bad) habit of taking the keys out of my purse without me knowing it. When I go outside and lock the door behind me, I assume I have keys in my purse and will be able to get back in. No dice most of the time due to his new key hiding habit. I NEED this keypad entry system now!

My father-in-law's home has 3 different keys to get in the front door. I visit often to do some cleaning for him. It is such a pain to get in the door as he refuses to call a locksmith to get them rekeyed the same. To make matters worse all 3 keys look alike. After several days of trying all the keys to find the right one, I had to put some colored tape on them so I would know which key opened which lock. Such a hassle.

Where was this when we build our house? We installed a cheap plastic looking one because we wanted the combo lock so we could give access to contractors when we weren't on site. Our house is all satin nickle and I'd LOVE to chuck, ahem, pass along the cheapie plastic one!

This would be great for when we need someone to come watch the ferrets when we're out of town...I don't have too many locked-out stories, but my brother was forever losing keys, so my parents were forever changing the locks. Good times!

We moved into our home 3 years ago and I STILL haven't made copies of the keys to the house! None of us carry a key. That means I have to leave the house open for the kids when I go somewhere. We do live in a small town, and there really is nothing that I care that much about when my family isn't in there, but still, not a good thing, right?Well, one day I came home and a friend had just walked into my house! Not that I didn't trust her, but I don't have that kind of relationship with anyone. I wouldn't just walk in my very best friend's house! We are in the process of switching all our locks over to these very Schlage locks! With 10 people in our house, I don't want to hand out all those sets of keys. Especially as often as we lose keys.

I would like to have this for our house so that I too don't have to hone my catburgler skills. I remember the time that I locked myself out and had to crawl in through the kitchen window. I wasn't particularly graceful.

I cannt even count the number of times I have locked myself out of my house. My best trick is to lock the door and then realize that I left the keys inside. I think it is a hereditary problem. My parents were the same way and were constantly boosting us kids through the tiny bathroom window so we could unlock the front door.

Once when we came home from a trip very late at night we had to break a window in the front door to open it. Several times we had to find the manager of our business who also had a key to our house. We have been fumbling at the front door for 36 years!!! Never thought of getting a lock like this. Never knew they existed!!! What a great idea!!!

I am CONSTANTLY bugging my husband when we leave home asking if he has his house keys. I have no idea why because he always does. Drives him crazy. When it's just me I have to have keys in my hand when I walk out so I know they are there also. Goofy I know. This would be so handy to have instead! My parents use one and they love it. Great if we need to stop by (if they are on a trip) and pick up mail, cut the grass, etc.

I used to lock myself out of my boyfriends house alot and I'd have to run next door and get his brothers key, one morning I locked myself out and had to get back in and then get to work. I ran next door and I woke his brother up to get the key, he was so groggy he came to the door in his tighty whites. I was so grateful that he helped me so often I sent him a bouquet balloons and a message that said Nice Briefs.

I hate the situation where I have two kids, a bazillion bags, a purse, maybe some groceries and sippy cups in hand, and then I try to to root around and find my keys and successfully get them in the keyhole without dropping everything! This lock sounds like a God send!

My hubby is the one that causes all our key stories. He loses keys like a magician (in his hand one second, then they disappear!). This would be a wonderful thing for us. www.kccpets.com click on contact

When we moved to Maine in summer of 2003 (I was moving back home) we had to live in an apt. at first. The landlord was a guy from Peru that lived in MA and he was just a great guy. But he wasn't around a heck of alot, because after all, he did live in MA-so we usually only saw him the 1st of the month. I remember coming home one evening (we lived on the 3rd floor) and lugging groceries up the stairs, putting my key in the lock and nothing happened. As a matter of fact, the key got stuck. Looking closer, I realized that I had put the wrong key in the door-the one I had used was one that should have been tossed out long ago but I just never got around to doing so. Plus, it looked alot like my house key. Hubby had left for work early, and here I was with 2 kids and a ton of groceries-some which needed to make it to the fridge. I continued to work the jammed key, but ended up breaking it---in the lock. Luckily, I remembered I'd left my living room window open and my son was able to go out on the porch and slide in through the window. Needless to say, we had to replace the lock- and our landlord just laughed when we told him our story.

I've had to climb into my upstairs bedroom window at mom and dad's house many times...climbing up the antennae, carefully walking across the garage roof praying that I don't fall through, and then heaving myself in my window. It was a good time. Now I have to strategically hide a key for my current house for those times I need in. I'd love to have a key pad like this!

My mom had a friend who was a locksmith. When I was married, my controlling mother would get her friend to come over when ex and I were out and make her a key. Then when ex and I were out, she would sneak in and snoop around and water my houseplants. They all died from overwatering.

I even have trouble using the keypad on my garage door when I forget my keys. I have to enter the code several times before it opens, of course sometimes the battery is dead which means that it won't open at all. It is very frustrating.

I was out without my house keys and the backup key was not in the hidden location (argh). My husband did not have a cell phone with him and I had to remove a screen to climb through a window. Thank goodness it was summer and one of the windows was open and I was able to get in without a neighbor seeing my try to fit through that window.

i also locked my self out and our garage door was locked for some reason so i had to go through the kitchen window. Only problem was that I was wearing a skirt and the window was really high. I just hoped that no one was around to see my underwear and jumped in

This is such a wonderful idea! My mother is wheelchair bound and my father cares for her. They are both in their 70's. Just a couple of weeks ago, we spoke about what my mother should do if my father had a problem and she needed to get help for him. We were able to get a special intercom to the emergency station. We have an intercom in each room for her. But, the question of how emergency personel could enter the house, since my mother is unable to get up or get into her wheelchair by herself, was the next problem. Since I live right around the corner, all emergency personel has my numbers and my brothers numbers, and we both have keys to the house. But, I must say, that this lock is the perfect solution and best idea for my parents. I really love this idea.Thanks for this giveaway.

I had to leave work one time because I was so sick. One of my coworkers drove me home. I told her to go on back to work. I went to my door but couldn't find my keys. I was so sick that I didn't see them in my pocketbook, so I took my hand and just knocked out the glass in the French door. How stupid! Cut myself, too (not bad). Guess the good Lord was looking after me.

My parents have one of these (no idea what brand) and I LOVE it! Have been thinking of putting one on our basement door (since the landlord can't "find" a key to that door, grrr). I don't think I've ever been locked out (knock on wood), but recently we were getting ready to go somewhere & I was already out in the car w/ the kids, dh came out to the car & said "you DO have the keys don't you?" he'd already locked the door so we would have been in a heap of trouble if I hadn't LOL.

I remember about two years ago, on New Year's Eve, my husband locked our keys inside our house and we had to have the fire department come out and break down our door with a sledge hammer. We later found our second set of keys in our car, which we was in while the fire department was killing our door. The prize would be wonderful.

My husband and I were given a surprise after our wedding, an all expense paid hotel room at the Ritz Carlton. We had originally planned on going to our new home and staying there and then going somewhere that following week. So, we had to go home to get clothes but - neither one of us had keys. So there we are, close to midnight, me in my wedding gown and my husband in his tux crawling around the house looking for a way in. We found a window that was open and so helped my husband up into the window (picture this now, in my wedding gown!) as he squeezed into the small opening trying not to rip his rental tux.

I didn't even know such things existed. I must have a lock like this. With two small children, an infant nephew I watch and all my errands this would be perfect, no more struggling to get my key into a hole that it does not want to go into. I fight with my lock daily it is a real pain in the can. With this it would be just 1-2-3 and in we'd be.

I live in a fifth floor walkup apartment and had locked myself out and couldn't get through to a locksmith anywhere. One of my neighbors had to climb up the fire escape and break the window. Thankfully we told the super someone must have thrown a ball in the window while we were out so we didn't pay to replace the window! Wish I had this lock then :-)

I'm so bad with keys. Not only locking them in the car, but locking myself out of the house. We have our house for sale and recently had a showing where the realtor locked ALL of our doors when he left, including one I leave unlocked because I don't have a key for it. Needless to say, I was locked out. I had to call our realtor to come open our lockbox to get the showing key out so I could get inside. How embarrassing. I could really use this. Thanks for the great contest!

Keys, Keys, Everywhere, and not a single one to spare. I loose them everytime I leave and wish there was one up my sleeve. It's amazing that I can ever get in, I've even left several with my next of kin. A lock with a keypad would really be dandy, it would really come in handy!

keys hate me! I lose so many of them my post office keeps spares on my box in stock because I am ALWAYS losing them.

We once lived for 2 years in a place that didn't even have keys to it because we lost them and the manager wanted an unbelievable $150 to replace the key (not the locks, just the key)and we didn't want to pay it when we were SURE we would find the lost one somewhere.

Good thing we had a very good watchdog, and told NO ONE about the place not being locked!

I am always misplacing or losing my keys but recently my 3 yr old neice took my keyring with all my keys and hid them. Still can't find them. Had to get the 2 parts to my car key--the anti-theft key and the automatic opener/locker--it was $200 and that really made me mad.

Not the first time...have done several times...left the keys in the house, shut the door...ready to go somewhere...in my car...keys are locked in house...with noway to get in...but calling hubby AT WORK to let me back in...thanks goodness he works close to home :)

There is nothing worse than getting locked out. This product sound great for my family as my kids are almost old enough to need their own house keys. The thought of so many more copies of my house key "out there" is pretty scary. This is a fantastic solution! Thanks for a great contest!

This would be great for my step-children. They never have their keys and always seem to need something in the house when I am not there. They have had to sit out side and wait for an hour before! Poor kids... we would love to win!

Hi,Love these entries. I don't feel so alone with my keys. My SinLaw lost her keys in her van on day. Had to have the locksmith come 20 miles out of town to do the work. She found the keys in the chips bag..3 days later

Our worst problem with keys is actually car keys--with several people using the same vehicle at times, they frequently get 'mis-placed'.

The only real 'lock-out' situation I can remember happened when I was a child and my 2 yr old sister locked herself in an upstairs bathroom at my uncle's house. This was before they made locks that had emergency open capabilities for such rooms. My uncle went berserk and was willing to break down the door to get to her, but the other adults managed to keep him from doing it long enough for one of the older kids to get a ladder and get to the window. It was an old farmhouse and the window was not locked, so they were able to get in and unlock the door. My sister couldn't figure out what all the fuss was about!

Kids, do I have to say anymore. They are constantly leaving their key home. The husband can be bad too. He till forget sometime and the natural reaction when he shuts the door is to lock it even if he is going next door.

sue10: For whatever reason when I moved into my home, the front entrance door lock and the door coming in from the garage does not use the same key. Since I travel a lot on my job, I only keep the garage door key on my keyring. However I came home after a long trip and the garage door would not open. My spare key to the front door is hidden inside my garage. I had to pay a locksmith to let me in my own home. Ughh how aggravating and expensive. I need this. altaw@bellsouth.net

I was talking to my Dad's friend on the porch when the puppy put his feet up on the screen door and accidentally pulled down the slide on the lock.I had NO idea how to get in. Finally, I asked my Dad's friend if I could use his keys to see if any of them just might luckily fit and turn the lock.Would you believe the ignition key to his Honda worked???

Last week I loaded my car w/ groceries and put on the AC. I live in FL mind you too.... Well I shut the door and the keys AND FOOD were inside. I had noone to call and had to wait an hour for my husband to come w/ another set of keys. Lost 1/2 the food I bought, I was so upset!

maloriella@cs.com.....I am a widow who lives with her 2 kids in the boonies and when i took my kids to the beach after school was out, a friend came by to feed the cats and my mastiff, Dya. Well much to their surprise, after a bad storm, they came by to check on things an Dya, who is crazily afraid of thunder and lightning, had chewed our front(and only entrance!) doorknob to pieces trying to get in the house! This would be awesomely safer for my kids and I...AND DYA!

I was at work and the Hubby was with the kids playing outside. Time came for lunch and the garage door to the house was locked. Our wonderful daughter said she didn't want the dog to escape. Well Hubby soon realizes the front door is also locked. He proceeds to the back screened in porch, pops of a corner and climbs in only to find that door locked too. Now for the comical part...the kitchen sink window is open, all 18 by 30 inches. Hubby is 5'11" and 260 lbs. He makes it through the window, over the sink and opens the door! We could use a key pad lock for sure. Thanks for the chance to win one!thundercloudgirl[at]hotmail[dot]com

I grew up in the country so we never locked our doors (and my parents still don't) but during my senior year of high school, I was taking classes at the local community college. My parents had gone on vacation and my brother was spending the night at a friends house. I had a class late that night and was running late. I sped to the college, grabbed my books, locked the car and ran inside. When I came out, I couldn't find my car keys in my backpack. I peered into my car window and the keys were still in the ignition. It was 11pm and everyone had left, even the professor. I ended up calling AAA with my cell phone. The tow truck got lost and took 2 hours to get there and then he tried to charge me for it. I didn't get home until 1AM on a school night. Now I always carry a spare key in my purse.

We have one of those little boxes with a keypad that is screwed into the door frame. it works pretty well, except for in the winter when it sleets and freezes shut! This looks like it would solve that problem and I'd love to try it out.

We had a back door that would lock on us and we all knew it. Well, last summer my husband and daughter were out East visiting relatives and yeah, I locked myself out taking the garbage out. And since I was alone for a week I had the house locked down REAL tight. I had to pry a window open, reach in and grab a kitchen chair, bring it out the window to stand on and THEN climb in the window. This is AFTER taking the air conditioner out and setting it carefully in a wheelbarrow. OMG. Needless to say my husband fixed the door when he got home and now we have a ton of keys outside.

I got locked out of the house when I was a kid, mom thought I went with dad, dad thought I went with her. It took them a while to realize at the bbq that I wasn't running with the usual herd of cousins. Meanwhile I'm on the front porch crying my little eyes out.

If your Roo can figure out how to work it, I'm sure my Ru will be able to when she gets a little bigger!

We are a family with 3 teens and they are forever misplacing their keys. I gave my key to one and then the electricty went out so my garage door opener wouldn't work leaving me locked out of the house. Naturally, the kid had lost the key and we had to take out a window to get in!

I walked home from work in the pouring rain and discovered I didn't have my key in my purse. So I just sat on the porch while it was still raining for an hour till someone came home to let me in. Not a happy memory.

I locked myself out of the house (by forgetting my keys) so many times in high school that I developed quite a paranoia about it. I now feel compelled to check multiple times for my keys before I leave the house, and this Schlage keypad would really be great. Thanks for the giveaway!

My son's key to the front door is extremely hard to get to work. We ususally end up getting up and opening the door for him. This key would be great. Especially if you got locked out without your key. Thanks. minute11@gmail.com

In high school, i was locked out too. I had a friend with me, it was raining. My parents have a basement with windows so I tried to open one and it fell into the basment and broke. Then, I couldnt fit into the hole anyway. : /

I have locked myself out of the house on numerous occasions. I have a spare key hid but on this occasion, it had not been put back in it's place. I had to crawl thru the dog door...luckily we have a huge dog!

Just last week we rented a house on the Jersey shore. The first night we left for dinner and I looked the bottom lock. Out the door we ran, not turning on any outdoor lights. Upon return we tried to get back in and instead locked the top lock, then trying the key in the bottom lock, couldn't get in cause the top was locked. Went back and forth for about a half hour before dumb us figured it out.

Keys and how frustrating they are? Well....I have always had issues losing my keys...even before I had children! And now, when trying to get the grocery bags and the baby into the house when the door is locked is such a hassle...I would LOVE to be able to put the keys in my purse so that I do not lose them, and still be able to get into my house....without fiddling around on my (huge) key chain to try to find the right key!

When we first got this house, we made settlement about three weeks before we were going to move in. At the last minute, my adult son decided he wanted to stay with us before he moved to Japan, and he arrived here two weeks before we did. We sent him a key before he left his old place, but forgot about sending him a key to the garage.

Did someone call the police on you, or did you activate an alarm system. I think my heart would still be pounding if someone pulled a gun on me. Or I'd have a smart-alec comment and get shot.

When we bought our house the previous owners passed down like 8 keys. Plenty, right? And all of a sudden we ran out. We'd lend them to a houseguest, a dog-sitter, etc. Who knows how many people have keys to our house now.

Several years ago I was baby sitting. My nephew was 3. We started out the door he shut the door and pushed the button in. He was on the inside. He couldn't turn the knob. I keep talking to him to keep him in sight. Lucky my husband came home early. I was in a panic. To this day I still carry my keys in my pocket. Please enter me, thank you

I haven't yet locked myself out of my house but I have locked myself out of my car a couple of times. I hate that! Thankfully my husband always has a spare so while it is inconvenient it isn't expensive. I would love this lock. I find it difficult to manage both my 22 month old and 5 month old at the same time while trying to unlock the door. This would be perfect!

Ok, so I don't have some great story but I would still love to win this. I have family that visits and this would be great to be able to give them the code to come early if I'm not there or leave when I've already gone to work and not leave the key somewhere else, or GASP, UNLOCKED! Perfect idea!

I've never been able to get along with keys: don't understand how to use them, don't know which direction to turn them, can't tell which one goes with which lock, can't find them when I need them, snap them in two when I twist them too hard... Think I need a new locked in relationship!!!

I live in a 100-year old house that has different keys for every door. I have installed a keypad lock on the main entrance and it has made our life so much easier! I'd love to have another one for our back door too.

Our street light was out one night when we arrived home and I had to fumble around in my purse in the dark looking for the house keys. We had eaten mexican earlier and my child was screaming she had to use the bathroom -NOW! It was not an experience that I would like to repeat. These keypad locks sound great.

This has happened to me more times than I'd like to admit. Locking the keys in the house, or in the car. :( I have had to break in through a window and shove my daughter through it so she could unlock it.

This isn't my worst story, but it is recent and on going. I am going away on vacation, and I have a couple of different people lined up to take care of my pets, and check the mail and such. It has been such a pain to get extra keys made, and then one person lost the key that I gave her, so we redid the locks. UGGGG, just a real pain, having a code would have made this trip much easier.

Living in a house where siblings feel free to enter my bedroom and take what they please, the only solution is to keep my bedroom door locked whenever I leave the room. At one point I had a spare, but soon lost it. I've had to "jimmy" my bedroom door open so many times -- ruining the outside molding in the hallway. I've also crawled through my bedroom window dozens of times.

I remember playing as a kid. We made up a game called "Keep the Frisbees Out of the House." My team ended up losing, but we accidently locked all doors to the house, with all keys inside. Dad was able to remove the door to get in, with the whole neighborhood watching.

My most scary moment was going out to get the mail at our new house while my babies were taking a nap. I didn't yet realize the front door lock tends to stick...luckily my 3 year old was past the baby gate stage and heard me banging on her bedroom window.

It never fails that I try to grab every single thing I can out of the truck so that I don't have to make a second (or 15th) trip back to get stuff... And every single time I drop my freaking keys and when I bend to pick them up, things start to move and I end up dropping almost everything! It sucks and I should be more patient, but at least if I had one of these do-dads, I wouldn't have to worry about keys!

We always need to have a key for our daughter to get in just in case we aren't home. Twice at the end of the school year, when the backpack has almost been shot -- without checking every pocket (You think I would have learned the first time) -- I threw the backpack out with the key still in it! Doh.

I had ALL my keys on a single keyring. I was at a computer class, on the other side of town, and when it was time to leave, the car would cut off whenever I would turn a corner (in the parking lot). I called the DH and he drove over, started the car & just looked at me like I was crazy. I had so many keys on the ring that when I turned the wheel, it pushed the car key out of the ignition just enough to make the engine cut off. I felt so *stupid*.... :)

One time I went out on the front porch for just a second to get the mail and a gust of wind slammed the door shut behind me and locked me out. Of course, it was the middle of winter, and I had to run through the snow with nothing but socks on my feet to get to the neighbor's house so I could call a friend with a key to come to the rescue.

oh my I have been locked out more times than I can count! My daughter loves to play with the door when I go down to the basement to do laundry... yet she cant unlock it! I have to get her to get her brother to unlock the door to let me in

I am in charge of a Sheet Metal shop, and entrusted to open up and let the workers in. I lost my key, and we all had to wait in the parking lot while we got the owner out of bed very early, and he had to rush over and unlock the doors. I was very embarrassed! - ruppbc@yahoo.com

Here is somehting scary. Since we only have one house key we hardly ever lock the door. My kids are so bad about losing keys I am afraid we would constantly be locked out. We lost the key to our truck for about two weeks until it turned up on the floor of the minivan. Still not sure how they got there. And i can't count how mnay times we have lost the mailbox key, the box gets so full the mailperson takes it back to the main office where I have to go get it. This device would certainly save some hassel.

A lot of people come in and out of here. This would be very helpful. My best lost key story involves having to scale the side of my apartment building in the rain to climb onto the balcony and break into a window SMALLER THAN MY BODY to get in. Ouch.

My back door locks with no key, and on those occasions when I got locked out, I had to climb in through the bathroom window. This always made me think of the Beatles song, "She came in through the bathroom window."

I locked myself out of my house one night and had to call my Dad who lived about a hour away to come over and rescue me. He has a key to the house and the poor darling drove late at night to help me. I felt like a total fool but was thrilled that Dad came to my rescue, as always. I could certainly use a lock like this one.

Well let me see, I remember one day doing laundry and accidentaly locking the door. I had also forgotten my cell phone. I had to go to a neighbors and call my fiance at work. It was 2:30 in the afternoon. He was not able to get away from work until 5:30. So I had to hang out with my neighbor until then it was so embarassing.